6 Critical Things To Consider Before Buying CBD Products

The CBD industry is currently experiencing exponential growth. However, with so many players crowding the marketplace, confusion regarding CBD products has increased in customers. When going shopping many think what to look for when picking CBD products?

How do you pick the right CBD brand? Does packaging play a role? What do you look for in third-party lab reports? 

You have to factor in these and many other equations to make sure you’re buying a safe and quality CBD product. Otherwise, you risk consuming low-grade CBD that may potentially contain harmful contaminants.

Here are some of the top things you need to consider before any CBD-related purchase. 

Brand That Supports Third-Party Lab Testing

Shopping for CBD products is a tricky business. You are never really sure what you’re getting. This is because the CBD industry is highly unregulated, which leaves many CBD consumers second-guessing about their choices. 

It would be best to find a brand with a longstanding reputation of providing excellent CBD products before buying them. 

First and foremost, the company you’re selecting for your CBD needs must provide comprehensive third-party lab reports. These reports need to be publically accessible on the seller’s website and contain important information, including:

• Publishing date: The more recent the third-party lab results, the more reliable they are. 
• Advertising: If, for example, the product’s packaging claims to have 1000mg of CBD, the lab results need to match this figure. 
• Lab accreditation: lab reports are only dependable if they’re accredited from reliable institutions. Look for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) logo on the packaging. ISO is the standard authority that oversees the CBD quality control measures.  
•  Contaminants: The lab will also check for pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants. You’ll also find this information somewhere around the bottom of the report. If you find a “pass” written anywhere here, your product is in the clear. However, if it says “fail,” consider it a red flag. 

You can also check out customer reviews on the brand’s social media channels to see what people say about its products. The more transparent a company is about their products, the better. 

Check for Ingredients

Many studies have indicated that CBD has great medicinal potential to treat various conditions, such as anxiety, stress, and insomnia, and has an excellent safety profile. Despite this, many products in the market lack adequate quality control. 

For instance, in the case of CBD oil, make sure a premium-grade carrier oil preserves it. MCT (Medium Chain triglycerides) is among the best carriers oils available today. It’s extracted from raw coconut oil, and several studies have spoken of its excellent digestion efficiency.

Another ingredient your CBD product should contain is terpenes. Terpenes combine with other cannabinoids in a CBD product to produce a special effect known as “the entourage effect.” The entourage effect is reported to improve the performance of individual cannabinoid molecules and boost therapeutic effects. 

Note: Look out for the ingredients mentioned above when buying a CBD product.

Consider the Intended Use

Researchers have touted CBD as a potential medication for many conditions. But, because of the plethora of available products, it’s hard to find a product that caters to your particular illness. So, before making your purchase, figure out what your intended use is.

For example, if you want to use CBD for arthritis pain, and instead of buying Topical CBD, you’re going for edibles, you might not get the results you’re looking for. 

It’s best to consult your physician and brainstorm the different kinds of products best suited for your specific condition. 

Understand CBD Terminology

Although a product’s packaging tells you most of what you need to know for making your purchase, you won’t be able to understand what it means without knowing the meaning behind different CBD terminologies.

CBD isolates: CBD isolates are sourced from hemp plants and purified to obtain pure CBD, free from all other cannabinoid compounds, including THC. This raises their CBD purity to 99%.

Full Spectrum CBD: Full spectrum CBD is also hemp-based; however, unlike the isolate, it contains other naturally occurring CBD phytochemicals, such as terpenes and flavonoids. Full-spectrum CBD also contains THC, which may make it illegal for use in some states.

Broad Spectrum CBD: Broad Spectrum CBD contains everything the Full Spectrum CBD does, except for the THC. This type is perfect if you want to buy CBD for medicinal use without experiencing any consciousness-altering effects. 

Determine Dosage

Deciphering dosage is another hard nut to crack. Without gauging the right dosage, you won’t know how to punctuate your usage or measure your intake. 

In the case of CBD oil capsules and edibles, you need to keep a consistent dosage. For example, if your prescribed dosage is 20mg of CBD every 6 hours, then you need to look for edibles and capsules that exactly contain this much amount per serving. 

When it comes to CBD tinctures or drops, you’ll need to add up some numbers to figure out the serving size. Most tinctures come with 1ml droppers. So, a 50ml bottle will contain 50 servings. One thing more you need to look for on your CBD tincture bottle is CBD value in mg. Suppose the bottle reads 500mg. Simply divide 500mg by 50 (total servings) to determine how much CBD you’ll get per dose. So, if you’re targeting 30mg of CBD per day, you’ll need to consume 3.0 mg of CBD daily. This means one 50mg bottle will last you around 17 days. 

Lastly, if your condition requires you to have a higher dosage of CBD per serving, it would be better to buy a product with a higher cannabidiol concentration. Although these products are a bit expensive, they’re worth the investment. 

CBD lotion and vape servings are even harder to wrap your head around. There’s no accurate way to predict dosing and usage with these products, so you’ll have to talk to your doctor. 

THC Content

Don’t choose any product with THC levels higher than .3%. This is the legally assigned limit. Beyond this, many states have made CBD use illegal. Higher levels of THC are known to aggravate underlying mental conditions, such as schizophrenia, and cause some side effects, including forgetfulness, indecision, and dry mouth.